tent material for self build

[UK4X4]

any one have some decent knowledge on tent materials.....

that you can actually buy.......

ie most manufacturers use either obscure names, or stuff not readily available
from standard suppliers...

I'm after two types.......both ripstop

1 A medium weight high thread count breathable for the RTT body

2 A medium weight fully waterpoof fly material..

My RTT top needs remaking and as its an obscure manufacturer and size

I either have to make a new one........or buy a whole new tent......

With the new baby...my budgets limited......

ie this ebay supplier has a selection...........and reasonable price

but which ones.........and no the flouro orange camo is a no no.......

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Fabric-Collection_Outdoor-Nylon-Fabric_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ16014889QQftidZ2QQpZ2QQtZkm

 

[Grim Reaper]

http://www.sunbrella.com/

That's a common material used on boats. Its what Can Back's are made out of.

 

[Martyn]

I'm not sure on the breathability of Sunbrella, I think it's a coated product.

The two fabrics for the inner tent that come to mind are Ripstop Polyester or better a polyester/cotton blend, and a relatively new product that is referred to a Technical Cotton.

I had the name of a manufacturer in the Inland Empire who made numerous suitable materials but it's lost somewhere in my computer. They also had a retail side of the business and sold in smaller quantities. I'll send it on to you if it shows up.

Check out these guys for ideas http://www.graniteville.net/products.html

 

[kerry]

Denver Fabrics sells a lot of outdoor fabrics. I believe they have an on-line store.

 

[aricea]

You might also want to check out Rochford Supply. Their Polaris tent material looks promising, and at $2.45/yd, it is certainly cheap enough...

Here's the description:

Polaris is a 46" 13oz Starch free 50/50 polyester/cotton duck with a water, mildew and flame resistant coating. Great for tents and fish houses, or any outdoor fabric application that poses a potential fire risk. Certified to meet the flammability requirements of CPAI-84.

And the link:

http://www.rochfordsupply.com/product_listing.asp_Q_CatID_E_419_A_SubCatId_E_545


Good luck with your rebuild.

 

[RHINO]

these guys have what you need, and i'm sure they ship.

http://www.seattlefabrics.com/nylons.html

 

[Robert Bills]

I'm not sure on the breathability of Sunbrella, I think it's a coated product.

Sunbrella is indeed coated. Also, it is very heavy and probably not suitable for the sides of a RTT.

 

[UK4X4]

A few sites I've been on already and a few new ones, sunbrella I dismissed as a possible as its too heavy /thick to sew with a normal sewing machine.

keep the ideas comming..........

Plus input on weight.....I'm guessing a material around 6-10 onces/yard

dernier high thread count is better ?

but seems to work in reverse ?

ie a 200 is better for tentage than 1000 which seems to be more for bags etc

Fabric seems to be more technical than standard engineering......

 

[Uticon]

UK4X4
Keep this thread going.
I would be very interested in what kind of tent your able to build on a standard home sewing machine.
You can get needles designed for denium and thick/tuffer material but im not sure how easy it is going to be to move enough material for a tent through a standard sewing machine but very interested in how yours turns out.
Good luck:av-7:

 

[Martyn]

A few sites I've been on already and a few new ones, sunbrella I dismissed as a possible as its too heavy /thick to sew with a normal sewing machine.

keep the ideas comming..........

Plus input on weight.....I'm guessing a material around 6-10 onces/yard

dernier high thread count is better ?

but seems to work in reverse ?

ie a 200 is better for tentage than 1000 which seems to be more for bags etc

Fabric seems to be more technical than standard engineering......

I'd be looking at 380 - 400 gram per meter material. 380 for an inner tent with fly and 400-420 for a single wall tent.

 

[UK4X4]

"I would be very interested in what kind of tent your able to build on a standard home sewing machine.
You can get needles designed for denium and thick/tuffer material but im not sure how easy it is going to be to move enough material for a tent through a standard sewing machine but very interested in how yours turns out."

I have a secret insider........my mum........only issue is she's in England is 73 has arthritis can't sew anymore and I'm in CA.......

She was a partner and pattern maker for BIBA in the 60's


Its a RTT that I'll be doing, so construction is pretty simple, no major curves etc.


You'd make each panel up individually, then assemble them together.

The assembly would be done inside out, so the throat of the machine would only see the width of the seam, folded and glued/taped.

Not a whole 4 ft panel.........

I have a design too to change the standard design for getting more room and loosing the flat roof profile that fills with water too..........might even be pattentable...

The build is 2 months away...as I'm still hapilly welding away on the trailer right now.

So still gathering ideas and researching.....

:tent:

 

[Bergger]

Sunbrella is indeed coated. Also, it is very heavy and probably not suitable for the sides of a RTT.

As far as I know it is breathable. It is what our Coleman popup used. In the 7 years we had the camper the tent material never leaked once and never had any condensation. I also holds up very well to the sun.

 

[Mike S]

Sunbrella is a good tenting materials. There are various types of Sunbrella. It is made by Dun Raven fabrics in SC, USA. The only one that I know of that is coated is the new Firesist Sunbrella.

If you what a contact for the rep in the West, PM me. I have done some significant research on this fabric.n I may also have enough on hand (light grey) to remake your tent.

Mike S

 

[crazyjane]

for the tent fly these might be something to look at. The military tent vinyl with the IR stuff on it is very durable and not too heavy. I have some of this at the house. I didn't have very good results heat sealing it with an iron, next time I'll use the glue they sell. I didn't put two peices together, just folded it over and made an edge. Some of it I had to go over twice. Too much heat and it melts alot and not enough heat and it doesn't stick. You might get better results if you have a machine for heat sealing the stuff together. The tarps we put on our trucks are heatsealed and they hold up just fine. I'm in the ARMY, work down in the Motor Pool.
If you go to seattle fabrics (in previous post)you can get a set of swatches of the stuff they sell to see which one might fit your needs.


http://www.ahh.biz/fabric_catagories/vinyl_composites.htm

 

[UK4X4]

Yep that milspec stuff was on my list for the rain fly, have you tried sewing it ?